Handgun Safeties

A safety is a device that blocks the action to prevent the handgun from shooting until the safety is released or pushed to the “off” position. The safety is intended to prevent the gun from being fired accidentally.

Not all handguns have a mechanical safety. On a handgun with a safety, the safety will be located around the receiver and is usually easy to spot.

The orange outlines indicate where safeties may be located on semi-automatic pistols.

Safety Tip

Some handguns have a mechanical safety, and others do not. In either case, the best way to avoid accidental firing is to make sure the gun is unloaded and the action is open. On a handgun, you can do this by making sure the slide is locked back (semi-automatic action), the cylinder is out (revolving action), or the gun is broken open (break action).

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